The Long Road to Number One
by Storm Advent
Summary: Pokémon Battling is now the most-watched professional sport in the Pokémon World. Legions of devoted fans admire the elite & famous trainers. Now with a career-high world ranking of 163rd Seth Dia believes it time to step out of the Minor League 'Contender Tour' and carve out a legacy & living in the top echelon. The Pokémon 'World Tour'. But can he do it? and what will lie ahead?
1. The start of a Legacy?

**The Long Road to Number One**

**Foreword**

**Pokemon Battling is now a professional sport in the Pokémon World. Gym Leaders still exist but instead act as schools for young aspiring trainers to learn their craft and earning badges is no longer a requirement to enter the professional leagues**

**I've borrowed elements from Tennis for example the Silver Conference or Lily of the Valley conference are the equivalent of Wimbledon or the US open and serve as the major championships in the course of a season whilst each city and town may host there own smaller tournaments. Here the "Pokemon World Tour Finals" acts as an end of season Tournament**

**I've have borrowed the ranking and points system from the ATP World and Challenger tours. For those who don't know they are the Major and Minor Leagues of Tennis. I'm not the biggest a fan of tennis but its ranking system is quite good and I think would lend itself quite well to Pokemon**

**For example every tournament rewards ranking points to the competing trainers. For example a tournament champion will earn more than a tournament runner up in the Major League. **

**The points awarded can vary though depending on the tournament type. For instance a World Tour 2000 event will award 2000 ranking points to the winner whilst a World Tour 1000 Event will only award 1000 ranking points to the winner **

**Whilst a Tournament on the Minor League "Contender Tour" will award far less points overall due to it being the minor league of the sport. For example a Contender Tour 200 Event will only award 200 Ranking Points to the winner**

**Ill explain aspects of trainers defending ranking points obtained from the previous season when it arises**

**In summary **

**Pokémon World Tour = Major League **

**Pokemon Contender Tour = Minor League **

**Hope you enjoy :D Criticism is welcomed :D**

* * *

** Seth Dia, 20**

**Years Pro: 2**

**Overall Ranking Points: 229**

**Season Ranking Points 229**

**Current Ranking: 163rd**

On a small blue sofa Seth sits with a sense of unease. The lights in his small but compact apartment are off with the television providing the only source of light with its muted glow. On screen a packed coliseum filled to the rafters with passionate and not to mention loud fans. They cheer collectively in frenzied acts of support and devotion. However down on the battleground there is no such frenzied motion between the two competing trainers, set fifty meters apart on the extreme left and right of the battleground. The television cuts to a split screen shot as the camera goes in for a close up on both trainers as the commentator dubs over images

**_"To anyone who has just tuned in. Welcome to the Grand Final of the Pokémon World Tour Finals broadcast live from Ever Grande City. You have missed an absolute scorcher of a battle so far with punishing attacks, and stupendous displays of agility being displayed by both sides. Its all come down to this. Each trainer is down to their last Pokémon it is now winner takes all"_**

On the far left hand side of the rectangular playing field is Taore Kutunara the current world number one. His opponent on the far right is David Smith current world number two. Both trainers pace up and down in their respective sections of the playing zone as they wait for the referee to drop the white flag to re-commence play once again. Each trainer appears to be enclosed within a world all to themselves, as they both vigorously move there neck and arms in a state of nervous agitation. Doing there utmost best in ignoring the baying crowd that surrounds them on all fronts. Then suddenly the referee drops the white flag and the battle resumes once again. Taore and David who are both down to their last Pokémon each launch a Poke Ball in to the arena with a measured act of fortitude. The light of an opening poke ball at first conceals what is released on the left hand side of the arena. Until two large aqua coloured wings break apart vanishing the light. Salamance is revealed to the audience and it lets out a might roar that rattles the timbers of the stadium. Directly opposite it is the seemingly unfazed Charizard of David Smith it to lets out a roar in reply to Salamance. The roars of these Pokémon stun the audience in to silence as they both now ascend in to the air as the battle takes to the skies, the calm before the storm

For what seems like an eternity the arena is trapped within a perpetual of state of silent flux as both Salamance and Charizard hovering in the air attempting to stare each other down. David takes the initiative and voices the first command

_**"Charizard use air cutter to chase down the distance and then use flamethrower on the bastard when approaching near!"** _

Taore, caught off guard by the sudden attack reacts quickly to counter the first move  
_**"Salamance fly higher to dodge it and counter with dragon rage"** _

David realising that with Salamance ascending the flamethrower is going to miss and that will leave Charizard exposed to the Dragon Rage attack. He quickly improvises a command  
_**"Charizard! Rotate yourself and guide the flamethrower towards the dragon rage and overpower it!"** _

Charizard successfully rolls on to his back in mid air launching the flamethrower skyward and in to the path of the Dragon Rage attack. The two attacks collide in to each other and explode on impact creating a dark grey choking smog that swallows the arena whole. The stadium remains silent as the crowd waits for the smoke to clear. The tension among the audience and the two trainers is palpable, as the smoke fades away it slowly reveals Salamance and Charizard, both standing to attention on the ground staring intently at each other once more. Both are panting heavily and appear visibly bruised by the shockwaves caused by their previous attacks, but both of them are still standing, to the silent delight of their trainers and the now raucous delight of the audience who scream back in to life once more.

Back in the apartment Seth rises up out of his seat and walks a few steps towards a mahogany coloured chest of drawers positioned in the corner of the room. He carefully opens the top compartment so as not to disturb the Umbreon sleeping beside it on a plump purple cushion. He roots around the inside of the drawer for a few seconds until his hand picks up a small red and white carton of Mach Nine branded cigarettes. He walks towards a set of clear glass sliding doors adjacent to the sofa and steps on to the balcony. Casually he leans on to the railing before rifling through his pocket for a lighter. One swift motion of the thumb sparks the flint and his cigarette is now lit. He takes several tokes of the tan and white coloured stick of inevitable regret in quick succession before slowing his pace as takes in the views of Goldenrod City amidst the haze of pale grey smoke. It is a clear and chilly February night in the Johto capital. Despite it being past 10pm the city was still bustling with life, as is evident with the sound of chatter and moving traffic from the main road as they together. Occasionally you can hear the piercing thud of bludgeoned air from the nearby magnet train as it carries passengers across Johto, through Mount Silver all the way to Saffron City in Central Kanto at a blistering speed. From the perspective of Seth's cramped twelfth floor apartment the proof of Goldenrod's reputation as the city that never sleeps can be seen in the night sky as an incandescent glow hovers over the city like a neon halo.

Suddenly Seth's contemplation is abruptly ruined by the shriek of an electric guitar coming from his pocket. It's his Smartphone, he quickly grabs it out of his pocket, as an all to familiar name appears on screen. Tristan Scottgrove. Both a friend and Training partner the two of them met five years ago back when they were both competitors on the Under 17 Development Tour. Seth has a good idea about why he is calling him.

**"**_**Whats up Tristan" **_Seth asked casually

**"**_**Dude! Are you watching the match on TV!" **__Seth could understand his excitement but felt he didn't need to be so loud as he grimaced in recoil at the volume of his friend's voice. He had to hold the phone away from his ears by a couple of inches to save himself from going deaf. Tristan carried on speaking although the volume dropped, his excitement didn't seem to"  
_**_"Unbelievable those guys are fucking immense, Seriously and we could be facing them in battle next season!" _**The excitement was now starting to grate. It wasn't that Seth didn't understand why, as the battle did appear to be a visceral sight. But he was more puzzled about why a man the same age as him, who is also meant to be a fellow professional trainer was starting to sound like a hormonal fangirl

**"**_**You're not meant to sound that bloody pleased about it. You're meant to be a professional for fuck sake not a fan!". **_Seth cursed the harshness of his words but felt there was a degree of truth too them

**_"Heh, yeah I know I know. But still I mean c'mon man it's hard not to get a bit awestruck!_" **Tristan sheepishly trying to defend his enthusiasm

**"_Getting awestruck against opponents isn't going to help you win matches mate_" **Seth said with a tone of authority in his voice after breathing in another toke from his ciggerate before preceding to take another toke of the cigarette. But Tristan just merely smirked upon hearing that.

**_"Oh really? _**Tristan smirked as his voice suddenly picked up a very knowing tone which continued on**_  
__"P__lease remind me again. Who won a contender tour event out of the two of us in Solaceon Town last season?"_**

**__"You did..." __**Seth quietly murmured in reply. But Tristan wasn't satisfied yet as he continued on

**"_Also can you remind me who finished runner up in that tournament last season?".  
"__And please tell me who is ranked eleven positions highrt on the world rankings?"  
_**Seth's lack of reply pretty much answered those questions. A Few more seconds had passed, Seth opened his mouth preparing to speak until  
**"_Don't you dare even bring up the fact that you have been in more finals than me! Finals mean fuck all if you don't win them pal. So for the sake of your ego, you might want to stop lecturing me and chill the fuck out!" _**interrupted a now seemingly agitated Tristan. Although the thought of pointing out the irony in having the words "chill the fuck out" shouted at you was tempting. He was frankly too busy imagining how he will strangle the guy when he next sees him. There was an awkward silence between the two as the tone of conversation suddenly shifted

_**"Ahhh"** _Tristan sighed loudly attempting to diffuse the tension_  
**"**_**_Listen Seth. You up for a practice battle tomorrow at around three pm?" "  
"We only have six weeks until the season begins again and Domic is starting to give me some B.S about how we haven't battled together for a while and how we are not taking the training seriously"_**

_**"Yeah…. He is a bit of a hardass. But still, he is a decent coach**" _Seth said in an attempt to sound fair

_**"You're mixing up the words decent and affordable again"** _Tristan replied with a smartass tone

_**"Perhaps so. Anyway yeah 3pm sounds good to me**, _**Ill see you at the National Park Training Grounds."**

_**"Yeah thats fine Seth. Ill see you there. Bye"**_ Tristan ending the conversation quite abruptly

**_"Bye" _**Seth replied just before Tristan ended the call. Seth examined the phone for a few more seconds longer just to make sure he isn't on the line before he put it back his pocket just to make sure he didn't hear what he planned to say next

**_"Fucking Prick!"_** He said to himself as he threw his now exhausted cigarette off the balcony vaguely aiming for the open bin twelve floors bellow. Still pissed off at Tristan's harsh words he re-entered his apartment and with his right arm he grabs the handle of the balcony door and slams it closed with a mighty pull. This didn't go unnoticed by his now rudely awakened Umbreon as it rose slowly out of its small cushion with a disgruntled moan with a tired yet annoyed glare in its eyes

**_"Sorry Umbreon"_**. As Seth crouched down to his height and spent a few stroking its black and gold fur as apology. It purred in reply before it slumped back down in to its bed

He then strolled in to the even smaller kitchen and switched on the kettle preparing to make a hot brew, a small vibration struck Seth's thigh it was his phone again he brought his phone back out. He had received a text expecting it to be spam message from some company he had automatically had his thumb hover over the delete command until he noticed that this was infact a text from his coach Donic. The text read

**_"Tristan just texted me about your guys plans. Its about TIME! Ill see you at three." _**  
**_"BTW He says he sorry about what he said earlier" _**  
**_"PS: I don't know nor really care about what he said. Just keep it away from training tomorrow"_**

Seth sits back on to the sofa to watch the rest of the battle but much to his surprise it has already finished, in fact they are now presenting the trophies. The camera zooms in on the short and decrepit figure of Davidoff Materitz the CEO and Chairman of the Pokémon Tour Association. Dressed in his black suit and matching trousers obviously trying to extenuate the importance of this occasion. Hidden behind all the grey hair, liver spots and wrinkles that seem to collapse in on each other, a broad smile appears on his face as he pushes a small trolley like device. Sat atop of it is a large glass case. However it is what is inside of it that carries much prestige. Carefully positioned inside is an opulent and lavishly decorated golden trophy. Beautifully sculpted curves meet to form a vase like structure. An array of rubies, sapphires and emeralds are encrusted on the handles whilst the base is adorned with large fragments of diamonds and pearls. It wasn't really a trophy as such more a mosaic of complete decadence

A glamorous long blonde hair woman walks behind Mr Materitz waving to the crowd and TV cameras, wearing a sequined black dress that glimmers under the lights of the arena. She too is also pushing a trolley however nothing more than a solitary shot glass of champagne can be seen on it. She positions her trolley next to the obscenely decorated trophy directly in front of Taroe Kutanara who carries a small but proud smile across his face. The glamorous woman and Mr Materitz don a pair of white latex gloves as they now both slowly lift the case off the trophy and present the shot glass to Taroe. With a calm smile of pride he slowly pours the liquid as the TV camera zooms in to the rim trophy displaying the sparkling liquid for the audience in the stadium and those at home to see as it bubbles for a brief second before settling in to place. Wishing to savour the moment he slowly brings the rim of the jewelled trophy up to his mouth and consumes the drink, upon completion he raises the trophy in to the air to the ecstasy and adulation of the roaring audience as the announcer speaks over the images once more

_**"And there is your Pokémon World Tour Champion folks. Taroe Kutanara. Take a bow sir you have earned it"**_

This is the prize that every trainer wishes to obtain. This is the prize that many trainers devote years of there life just to give themselves a chance to win it. To touch and drink from the trophy is seen as a sacred right only for the champion to experience. This is why that gloves have to be worn by the prize givers so they do not risk tainting the tradition and sacred right of the champion. Another woman now walks towards the celebration this one wearing a white sequin dress presents two pointlessly large cardboard cheques of P$2.5 million and P$1.2 million for Taore and David respectively.

Ever since Seth was a young boy he knew he wanted to be a professional Pokémon trainer. But as he grew older and more capable as a trainer, it wasn't enough just to be a professional. He wanted to be the greatest professional the sport has ever known, to create a legacy and make sure his name lives on in the annals of the sports history. To see someone living his dream. It angers him and he resents Taroe Kutunara at this point in time for living his dream. But on the plus side he couldn't help but snigger to himself at how pissed off David Smith looks right now as the TV cameras cut to him. That dour face says it all really. He is not even trying to be happy for his opponent, the only thing he can do now is reflect where it went wrong as he clutched a small silver plate in his right hand with a vice like grip desperately wanting nothing to do with this moment and Ever Grande City.

**"Sucks to be runner up doesn't it"** Said Seth with a twisted smirk and a reliance on schadenfreude

He then switches off the Television and prepares to go take an early night

* * *

***Edit* *I have made a further revision to this chapter by tightening up the description and trying to keep typos to a minimum***

**Ill use this space at the bottom of each chapter to perhaps put in some points I ought to explain in more detail**

**For example .Ill be using P$ as shorthand for PokeDollars or Pokémon Dollars or whatever the official currency is **

**Also I have highlighted dialogue in Bold and Italic for this chapter If you think it does or doesn't work please let me know**

**Thanks for Reading I hope you enjoy**

**:)**


	2. Rust, Neglect and the Training Grounds

**Chapter two: Rust, Neglect and the Training Grounds**

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Not a cloud can be found amidst the cerulean blue sky, It is a bright, vibrant and an unseasonably warm February afternoon in the Johto National Park. A cool windy breeze wafts across the luscious parkland as it carries fallen leaves, dandelion seeds and the odd stray Hopip along in its directionless wander. Seth and Tristan each with a can of DyNamic branded soda in their hand sit on a park bench candidly discussing the events of yesterday's Pokemon World Tour Finals. Each can of soda has an image of the tournaments winner Taroe Kutanara and his Salamance printed on with the words "A number one soda for a Number one trainer" adorned bellow. The two of them are seated directly opposite a large octagonal shaped white marble water fountain. Any tension that could of lingered after yesterdays heated phone call soon faded The fountain is adorned with intricately sculpted Pokémon inspired gargoyles on each of the corners as they face towards the centre spouting water from their mouths in to the large basin. An ideal place for those who seek tranquillity and calm

**_"Bullshit!" _**Tristan exclaimed as a Pidgey hurriedly fly's out of a tree in sheer shock  
**_"There is no way that wrinkly old man and that blonde supermodel woman are an item!?. _**"A puzzled curiosity replaces his initial loudness

**_"Honestly, no lie!"_** Seth said with his hands raised in an effort to reaffirm his comment  
**_"Just think about it for a minute. Imagine how wealthy that guy is being in charge of the Pokémon League. The amount of times he is on TV or featured in the press, and going by how popular the sport is with people and sponsors the influence he must have…." _**Seth paused for a second throwing the empty can of soda in to the bin on his left hand before grabbing a cigarette and lighter from his pocket  
**_"Also not to mention I've heard some rumours about that supermodel woman trying to launch some sort of idol or singing career. So they are made for each other in a hollow, fame obsessed and vain kind of way."_** Seth said trailing off with a sense of despair as he now lights his cigarette

**_"You do have a point I suppose but…" _**Tristan replied in a polite but not really listening sort of way as his mind was clearly elsewhere thinking of something.  
**_"But... just imagine if you were her and every night you're with that old man you had to you know…. _**Tristan paused searching for the right words  
**_"Play with his Pokeflute"_**

Seth spluttered in response almost choking on the cigarettes fumes unable to comprehend the frigid response of his compatriot  
**_"Pffft Ha Ha ! Oh come on man when did you suddenly become so timid you won't get arrested for saying the word sex.  
_****_"ha ha" _**_He dragged out his laugh at the end _attempting to fill any awkward silence before carrying on  
**_"Besides in order to activate his "Pokeflute…" _**as he air quoted that last particular word  
**_…..he would have to eat a type of rare candy first. That way he is able to use harden before he finishes by firing string shot all over her fa…."_**

**_"Please just shut the fuck up! " _**A loud voice thankfully interrupted that sentence. startled both trainers quickly turn round. A quick glance up revealed it was there coach Domic. He was dressed in his usual coaching attire of a light grey athletic tracksuit with yellow trim along the side of the legs and arms with a full rucksack carried on his shoulders. Aside from the rucksack he was also carrying a very disgusted look on his stubbled face  
**_"Yeah… thanks for that image Seth. I was going to order a hotdog at that stand over there but... I don't think I can even look at one now. _**Domic sighed and stammered with a quiet yet angered resignation as his hand now attempts to bat away the smoke coming from Seth's hand.  
**_"You know that crap is going to kill you right!?" _**As he points a finger disapprovingly to the source

The three of them stand whilst they collectively chat for a few more minutes until Domic gestures that they should move on. The three of them now leave the water fountain and walk up to the Training Grounds via a nearby pathway. The peculiarly warm February weather has coerced many people out of there homes. The view from the pathway reveals the vast size of the park and the various activities is taking place. Towards the south families and young couples are busy enjoying a moment of serene bliss in the shade underneath a cluster of tall oak trees happily enjoying a picnic or just laying down and basking in the weather. Just a few hundred yards away an area filled with fallen trees, burrows and long grass. This section of the park is used to act as a more natural habitat for the Pokémon that have decided to make the National Park there home, and to cater to the swarms of bug type Pokémon that seasonally travel for newer pastures after leaving Illex Forest several miles south of Goldenrod City. Seth notices two young trainers with large sombrero like hats and giant nets carried over their shoulders walking in to that section of the park

**_"Must be one of those Bug Catching Contests"_** Seth said to himself whilst Tristan and Domic are engaged in Pokémon league discussion with each other.

A few minutes later and the three of them arrive at their destination. A cold chill now sweeps the area startling the trio. In front of them are a set of weather worn and discoloured ticket booths each of them surrounded by piles of shattered glass and chipped bricks. The ominous vibe is completed with a large rust infested metal positioned above the five ticket booths with the words Johto National Park Training Grounds just about legible enough to read. between the booths and make their way further in to the now seemingly abandoned complex. The National Park training grounds is split up in to six different open air playing arenas. Seth and Tristan follow their coach in to Arena Four. The first thing they see is the decayed remnants of what was a high grade titanium alloy chain link fencing now acting as the ramshackle walls each arena. Due to each arena being in a close proximity to each other a high grade titanium chain link fence used to surround the perimeter of each arena in order to stop any stray powerful attacks injuring innocent bystanders and watchers however years of neglect, ransackings and the torrid autumn &amp; winter weather of the Johto Region has taken its toll as the once vital and strong fence is now nothing more than a stagnant piece of decayed ambition. Neglect seems to be the perfect word to describe the Training Grounds. Seth thought as he walks on to the well-trodden, battered and cracked clay floors of Arena Four as the cold wind scuttles rubbish past his feet. The battle field is signified by a interconnected series of barely visible perimeter lines.

The three guys drop their belongings on to a bench as they take in the dilapidation of the arena. Not only does this serve as a brutal reminder to both Seth and Tristan about just how far away they both are from the very top of the sport and the opulent stadia of Ever Grande City. directly opposite where they sit a row of broken chairs linger on the opposite side reinforcing the point and mocking them at the same time. But also it is a brutal reminder about just how much this place has fallen when compared to its glory days.

This was once considered the prime place to train within Goldenrod City and widely considered by trainers both professional and amateur as one of the best training spots in the entire Johto Region during the early years of the sports professional era. Enthusiastic locals would always gather and watch through the gaps in the chain link fencing and start hitting it in excitement and support at the power displayed by the Pokémon and the inspiring command of the trainers. The pros loved it because it recreated the excitement and frenzied buzz that would be typical with tournaments on the World Tour and Contender tour circuits. This allowed the trainers and Pokémon to grow accustomed to being watched and develop a resistance to stage freight and audience distraction. Due to the easy accessibility of the venue it allowed the trainers to actively engage with fans and to cultivate a reputation and to help inspire others. But as the years passed the heroes moved on and as Goldenrod became a busier and wealthier city investment allowed the construction of larger stadia and type specific indoor training facilities and trainer academies with all of these tools available it was considered an embarrassment to be seen in places such as the Training Grounds. Not just in Goldenrod City but similar venues all over the world fell in to disrepair and became nothing more than pieces of barren, desolate wasteground that crumbles away in to the annals of time. The heroes, The history, The memories it's as though they mean nothing to anyone anymore.

**_"Yo Seth!"_** A voice directed at him interrupted his thoughts. Seth quickly shook his head in an effort to leave his daydream

**_"You ok man?"_** Tristan asked with some concern  
**_"You've been pretty quiet away for the last ten minutes"._**

**_"uh... yeah I'm fine, was just thinking as all_**." Seth replied trying to show that nothing is wrong but he was puzzled as to why he was lost in to his thoughts for so long, He was tempted to think some more about it until Domic loud coaching voice made his change his mind

**_"Right guys! bring out three Pokémon and then I'll decide how you guys will train from there_**" Domic commanded with a small clap in commandment as both Seth and Tristan nod in acknowledgement

**_"Hey Seth have you been practicing your release routine?" _**Tristan asked with sly smile

**_"Yeah I think I got something that's pretty dynamic" _**Seth smugly smiled in response

**_"Well lets see what you got!"_**

Seth readies and positions himself one leg slightly in front of the other with both knees bent grabs. Quickly his hand thrusts in to his right pocket and takes out one Pokeball. He presses down the centre button and it instantly becomes larger in size before throwing it in to the floor with such force it bounces in the air above his head. He then dips both hands in their respective pockets and grabs a Pokeball for each one again pressing the button on the centre with his thumb. As the first Pokeball he threw is about to fall back down he quickly smashes it with the two Pokeball currently in his hands. From Tristan's perspective the combined light effect of the three Pokeballs opening appears to shoot out from Seth's hand for a second until the light vanishes and three Pokémon appear in front of him

Infront of Seth is Umbreon it lets out a whined growl and a glare towards its trainer, partially as a greeting but also as a reminder for disturbing its sleep the night before. Standing next to it is the large yellow and brown rodent Pokémon Raichu it looks ecstatic to be let out of its Pokeball as it happily waves its tail whilst jumping up and down on the spot. It happy and joyful personality serves as contrast to the strong and silent demeanour of its teammate next to it. Fully aware that only two Pokémon are in front of him after releasing three Pokeballs he quickly looks towards Tristan for help and he immediately points upwards. He looks up and sees his Staravia flying in the sky above intermittently using aerial ace to change its altitude at fast random intervals before landing next to Umbreon

**_"Ah ok I guess we both had the same idea then"_**

Tristan copies Seth's routine action for action even throwing the first Pokeball in to the air at more or less the same height. Just like what Seth done previously Tristan unveiled his Pokémon by colliding two more Pokeballs in to it as the first one falls. The light emitted from the spherical objects fades and in front of him Zangoose, Kadabra and a Fearow each of them exchange no more than a small nod to their trainer they quickly share a glance with Seths set of pokemon before they proceed to move purposely further away.

_**"Wow what a bunch of A-holes...".** _Seth mentioned as Zangoose, Kadabra and Fearow sat themselves down about fifteen meters away  
_**"...they take after you well" **_ a quick smile and pat on Tristan's shoulder just to indicate that he is just joking and doesn't mean anything personal

**_Yeah yeah get bent, there moving away because theres an overpowering _stench of failure coming from your guys"** Both trainers laughed

Domic however stood stationary with his arms crossed thankful that the theatrics of his students is over, A bored and unimpressed look on his face summed up what he thought of there "release routine" display

**_"You do realise that you both look like a right pair of over compensating benders when you twirl the Pokeballs in to the air like that don't ya_**..." said in his distinctively blunt manner.

"**_Politically correct as always Domic_**. Seth interrupted with his faced buried in to his palm for a split second. He never considered throwing a Pokeball in to the ground as twirling

Domic still unimpressed decides to bring up an old tale about his time as a Pokémon trainer and how there was no room for showmanship or displays it was all about how you battle. The two trainers allow themselves a quiet sigh and a roll of the eyes as there coach becomes a tour guide about how things were better back in his day. As much them two hate hearing Domic complain about thing he finds wrong in the Pokemon World he did have a point about the release routines. Most professional trainer will admit there is no need to pull of dynamic poses, signature gestures or well-orchestrated release routines before a battle, but trainers, for better or worse have now adopted this technique some try to justify it as it as a means to intimidate other trainers and Pokémon or to impress the crowd in order to gain there favour when trying to seal the win or launch a desperate clutch tactic. In actuality though a catchy gimmick such as signature routine or pose can get you noticed by sponsors and improve your commercial prospects

As both Seth and Tristan empty there minds vacantly staring towards there coach who is still talking about his past, reminding themselves to nod every few seconds to give the impression of listening . Their Pokémon too are starting to get a bored and restless amongst themselves as each trainers team of Pokémon start goading and mocking each other it start's off innocently enough with a bit growling and inviting hand gestures going back and forth between the two teams. However things turn when Zangoose from the corner of its eye spots a stone on the floor whilst Kadabra and Fearow occupy the attention of the Umbreon opposite. The red and white furred bipedal creature quickly picks up the stone and throws it. The lack of height or arc indicates the power of the throw as it hits a distracted Umbreon right in the forehead. Staravia prepares itself to take flight in order to use wing attack in defence of its teammate whilst Raichu in the same valour sparks up its cheeks ready to attack but almost instantly Umbreon turns round and barks viciously to them both before charging off sprinting towards Zangoose wanting to take care thing himself using quick attack under its own accord, Zangoose deliberately riling it up is fully prepared for it and grabs Umbreon in a clinch just before contact with the quick attack is made. The two shove each other and grunting in exertion. This gets the attention of the Domic who is now just wrapping up his discussion

_**"Hey guys! look behind you**_!" Donic pointed towards the two brawling Pokémon before deciding to make the most of the situation  
_**"Ok might as well start the training now since we got volunteers right there. Seth take Umbreon and go to the left hand side of the arena, Tristan you and Zangoose are on the right**_" Both trainers walk on to arena, Both Zangoose and Umbreon see this release there clinch and walk towards there respective trainer

_** "Guys listen up this will be a short three minute single battle. I want you both to act fast and improvise a strategy in the allotted time"**_  
_**"3...2...1...GO!"**_

* * *

_**Hi Everyone. Hope you enjoyed this. Sorry for the delay but several things got in the way whilst writing. This chapter was originally planned to be longer but I felt it would be better to keep chapters at a cap of around 3000 words **_

_**I'm going to aim for at least one chapter a month. So expect the next one to be uploaded by mid to late August 2014**_


	3. Just a warm up

Long Road to Number One Chapter Three

* * *

_**"3...2...1...GO!" **_Domic yelled

With his arm out stretched pointing towards Tristan and a cocksure looking Zangoose. Seth takes the initiative as he yells out the first command of the battle

"_**Umbreon use Quick attack"**_ Umbreon took off as it four paws strike the weather worn ground in rhythm as it accelerates rapidly whilst tensing its body preparing to collide in to its bipedal foe

"_**Good. Now combine it with double team!",**_ the curved yellow stripe across Umbreons pointed ears glow for a brief second until suddenly it is surrounded by five different clones of itself each of them still on a seemingly unstoppable charge

"_**C'mon mate, Think harder!"**_ Tristan taunted unfazed by what he saw in front of him

"_**Zangoose use detect" **_Weirdly Zangoose didn't move with its eyes closed it just stood in front of its trainer with it naturally vengeful smile. Suddenly they open and Umbreons duplicates vanished, startled at being left exposed Umbreon looks both to its left and right in confusion unaware that it is still sprinting towards an eager opponent with sharp claws

_**"Zangoose! Its distracted, tackle it on to the floor and pin it" **_Zangoose nodded in acknowledgement dropped down on to all four legs its preferred running stance and charged towards the distracted black furred fox Pokémon

"_**Umbreon Jump!"**_ Seth voice almost broke issuing that desperate command

However it came to late however as Zangoose immediately bolts upright from its running position on to its hind legs just as it collides in to Umbreon picking it up off the ground on to its right shoulder and slamming the black and gold furred quadruped on to the floor in a motion similar to a rugby tackle

"_**Now use Slash and tear it to pieces"**_ Tristan announced with the dramatism of a roman empire wishing to be entertained in a coliseum

Zangoose forces itself on top of Umbreon keeping it in place and stopping it from struggling away as he raises both of its claws up in the air until they too start to glow. Viscously it tears its way through Umbreons fur and skin as the struggling Pokémon is screaming in agony shaking around to try and throw its frenzied assailant off of its body seemingly begging for Seth to return back in to its Pokeball

"_**I didn't tell you this before but Zangoose has started taking up more close quarters combat training" **_Tristan remarked with a smug sense of superiority

_**Shit...**_ Seth muttered as he tries to think of a way out. He could withdraw Umbreon from the battle, but frankly he found that a cowardly move so early in a practice battle. As much as it pains him to watch his prized Pokémon getting unnecessarily hurt, it wouldn't do him or Umbreon any favours psychologically in the long run. Seth and Tristan do consider each other friends but they are competitors first. Although this is only a training match. Tristan will only gain confidence if Seth dared to pull a move like that and will not hesitate to use an incident like that as ammo in the future. When you're living as Pokémon trainer depends solely on winning and getting results you have to put aside any loyalty or friendship as in a competitive, highly watched and potentially lucrative sport there is always somebody lower ranked than you happy to take your place and punish your failures.

Tristan is starting to grow impatient and rushes ahead with a final set of moves _** "Zangoose lets finish this use swords dance and then end it all with body slam whilst Umbreon is down"**_

Zangoose stands back up stepping off of the stricken Umbreon wheezing on the floor breathing heavily and stands next to it and poses with its arms on its hips with a sense of accomplishment before proceeding with his trainers orders. Swords Dance is not your typical move it doesn't inflict damage but instead its tribal inspired dance movements psyches the user up increasing the damage potential of physical attacks. This is evident as a small crimson glow surrounds Zangoose and a terrifying dark smile consumes its face as it goes through its dance motions until it's satisfied and with his fists clenched and arms outstretched it lets out a mighty roar.

"_**Zangoose, Body Slam now!"**_

"_**Confuse Ray Umbreon!" Seth interrupts back**_

It seems the time that was spent on Zangoose swords dance allowed Umbreon to recover a little bit strength. Though he was still unable to stand upright at the moment he was still able to turn his neck round before expelling a piercing and intense aureolin light is from its eyes directly towards Zangoose who was powerless to avoid it from point blank range

"_**Cmon Zangoose you are stronger than this. Snap out of it and fucking use Body Slam!" **_Tristan yells angrily as the red and white furry wildebeest staggers around cognitively paralysed unable to coordinate any worthwhile movement let alone obey its trainers instruction

"_**Ok Umbreon whilst it's staggering around use Iron tail"**_

Umbreon jumps up with its tail glowing as it jumps in to the air performing a front flip as the tail strikes Zangoose directly in the skull as the force of gravity and Umbreons rotation speed combine with his iron like tail to inflict further damage

The impact of the attack forces Zangooses entire body on to the floor as it crashed down with a heavy thud. Allthough breathing heavily Zangoose was still able to battle so the battle could not be finished. Umbreon stands a few yards away also exhausted due to the exertion of that last attack. The arena was silent as Seth and Tristan quickly glanced towards each other before taking a quick look towards Domic who was busy with something on his tablet computer. Both trainers slightly miffed at being ignored by there own coach for his sake it was hopefully something useful. Slowly Zangoose staggers itself upwards not wanting to throw in the towel just yet it seems that last attack has also snapped him out of its confused state.

Wanting to finish the match of quickly Seth said what he hoped wold be his last command

"_**I know your hurting but one last push use Last Resort and finish the prick off" **_

Umbreon sensing that battle is almost over readies itself for one last push and pounces. Just the name of the attack is all the description you need of as Umbreon launches in attacking with its teeth to grapple and using its deceptively strong hind legs for kicks. Zangoose is nothing more than a punching bag absorbing blow after blow after blow as the frantic motions now start to kick the dust from the fractured clay floors of the arena in to the air

_**"Zangoose use Mach Punch!" Tristan shrieked **_

Amidst the struggle Zangoose throws up a glowing right fist which allows the Mach punch to connect displacing Umbreon and stopping the onslaught that Last Resort was dealing

_**"Zangoose Mach Punch Again!" **_Tristan's voice almost breaking as the adrenaline takes over

_**"Umbreon counter with Iron Tail!" **_Seth said now back on the defence

_**"STOP! Ok guys that's enough. Remember were meant to be training here. Not trying to kill each other's Pokémon right before the damn season starts just to satisfy our egos" **_Domic yelled as he waves his hand signalling to the two trainers to come to him

The two trainers both run to their exhausted Pokémon in the centre of the arena attempting to placate their anger by talking and stroking them like pets in order to calm them down as they both grunt and wheeze with a deadly look in their eyes towards each other. Upon making sure they are ok both Seth and Tristan exchange glances and a few choice words to each other

"_**Wow you didn't half get fucking desperate there did ya" **_Yelled an unimpressed Tristan

Not appreciating being insulted by his teammate Seth responds  
"_**What do you mean, I saw an opportunity and went for it. I wasn't getting desperate" **_

"_**Oh yeah of course I apologise there is absolutely nothing desperate about a move called Last Resort" **_Tristan sarcasticly retorts

"_**Whatever man**_" Seth replied in a listening but not really caring sort of way

The two of them carried on bickering and arguing as they walked towards there coach. Domic delves in to rucksack and pulls out two small glass bottles of Moo Moo Milk, As the two trainers approach him he holds out his hands revealing the milk to the two trainers before nodding suggestively towards the exhausted Pokémon by their feet. It was his way of looking out for the Pokémon whilst hoping to distract the trainers long enough in the hopes that they would just shut up

"_**Right guys here is what I think"**_

"_**Seth I like Double Team Quick Attack combination but Umbreons technique is still not up to that super-high standard required. **_Domic then took his tablet PC pressed a button and held it up in front of Seth for him to see. It turns out Domic was using his tablet to record the battle.

"_**As you can see Umbreon is still a bit too slow and its Double Team is still not generating enough duplicates of itself" **_

Seth looked at the footage and just nodded in response, Domic brought the tablet screen back towards and dragged his index finger to the right hand side. This time he pointed the tablet screen towards Tristan

"_**We both know Zangoose can be a viscous little bastard but you need a better strategy than vaguely organised rage. It is a risky strategy if you don't have a plan B. Either way I'm glad to see that you took my advice and bought the Swords Dance TM for Zangoose. Potentially dead combination you have there"**_

Seth quickly glanced at Tristan. His face carried a slightly annoyed expression not appearing to of taken that vaguely organised rage comment well.

"_**Overall guys I can see improvements in both of these Pokémon, but if this is indicative of your entire team than you both still need to put in some more training time. Since I'm also under contract to work with two other trainers as well, I can't always be on your case about it it's down to you two as well"**_

A silence washes over them all. Domic speak up once more to break the silence

"_**Anyway guys that's enough for the battling today let's just work on training attack technique, speed and power today" **_

Domic looks around the floor for his rucksack upon spotting it he opens the zips and digs his hands in to it and passes a large pile of cones to Tristan

_**"Arrange them in the usual slalom pattern please"**_

Tristan with roll of the eyes and a sigh nods and walks back in to the arena dropping cones at specific points to set up a course

The three of them spent the next few hours training, however that eerie chill the three of them experienced earlier at the entrance of the National Park Training Grounds had returned. Although this was probably due to the fact that it was Febuary and the clear evening skies above, for some reason only extenuated the wintry sting. Seth and Tristan both adorned some colourful albeit sponsorless sports jackets to protect themselves from the climate. No such luxury was afforded to their Pokémon however, but there natural fur should be perfectly adequate. Not to mention both trainers found the idea of putting clothes on their Pokémon just a bit too weird.

Umbreon and Zangoose seemingly forgetting about the fatigue they suffered in their earlier skirmish both sprinted laps around the basic slalom agility course created by the placement of the cones. The Moo Moo milk Domic gave them must have had some strong reinvigorating medicine blended with it to allow this kind of rapid recovery. Slalom running was the favoured method of training for both the trainers as not only does it help improve the overall speed, agility and reaction levels of each Pokémon it was also dirt cheap to utilise. Not to mention that since these two Pokémon absolutely despise one another's guts making them desperate to beat each other, it could only help with endurance in the long run. Seth's Raichu also utilised the slalom course as well, but its larger size meant it could not complete the course as fast as the other two and is often left eating the dust of the battered arena floors that is kicked up by their immense speed. Raichus childish demeanour could only cope with this for so long until it used dig to tunnel its way underneath the course and cheat its way round certain sections or ambushing Zangoose from under his feet.

Umbreon appreciating Raichus unusual strategy of training whilst pissing off Zangoose taps paws with Raichu as thanks for doing so and encouragement to carry on. Domic and Seth made an exasperated sigh but look the other way. They just saw it as a method for Raichu to improve its dig attack alongside its underground speed and movement.

On the other side of the arena Seth's Staravia and Tristan's Fearrow are each wearing harnesses linked with two separate bungee cords. These are attached to the one post that isn't inflicted with rust that would likely break as soon as some tension is applied to it. Both Pokémon fly against the against the strength of the bungee cords elastication using the strength in their wings to fly against it. Both bird Pokémon use the odd burst of Aerial Ace and Wing attack to distract and pester each other whilst trying to catch the small weighted hoops that Tristan is throwing up in the air. Making this task the equivalent of a bird type Pokémon performing shuttle runs.

However back to the bench where the three guys left their rucksacks Tristan's Kadabra just sat there it didn't attempt to get involved with the training as it spent the vast majority of the training time with its eyes shut meditating in the corner. Tristan did attempt to involve it with training, at first by just calling its name calmly and crouching down in an attempt to not appear too intimidating. But as Tristan's frustration grew so did his voice as he started shouting at the uninterested Pokémon until his patience gave way and he picked up a small stone and threw it towards Kadabra. However even with its eye closed Kadabra psychic instinct kicked in and detected it and using its natural telekinesis abilities threw it back towards him with force. Tristan ducked quickly to avoid the missile. In the end Tristan gave up seeing that Kadabra couldn't be bothered to do anything today just returned it back in to its Pokeball and instead just put his focus on Zangoose and Fearow the brought with him.

Winter meant that the sunlight faded fast so Domic yelled towards the two trainers and told them to bring all of the training equipment back to him, before they were effectively training in blind dark. There were flood lights above each of the six arenas but since they had fallen in to disrepair years ago and with no light bulbs installed nothing was going to switch them on anytime soon. Before he zipped up the equipment in to his rucksack and leave he handed each of the trainers a sheet of A4 paper

"_**These are your tournament itineraries for the next month"**_

Both trainers glanced at it quickly, it seemed innocuous enough as each trainer recognises the list of the cities they need to travel to in order to compete however one word next to a city stands out to them both

"_**Contender Event!? "**_ Seth and Tristan announce in surprise towards there coach

"_**Were trying to leave the minor league remember!"**_ Tristan spoke seemingly insulted

Domic spoke with a resigned tone that had already predicted there surprised and annoyed response

_**Look guys. I know The World Tour finished yesterday and it's not due to start again for another four weeks. But as you should well be aware the Contender Tour starts and finishes earlier than the World Tour. **_He said as he was packing away the cones and harnesses in to his large rucksack before pulling on the zip to close it up.  
"_**Plus you guys haven't had a proper tournament battle since the end of the last season and that was about six weeks ago. **__**I want you guys to get back in to a routine and shake off the cobwebs with some battles in a tournament setting and atmosphere so you guys are as ready as possible for the World Tour"**_

Both trainers remain silent still visibly pissed off

_**"Since you both are more than capable of winning or at very least making the Semi-Final."**_

_**"I've made sure to enter you both in to different tournaments. That way you both should get the maximum amount of ranking points and prize money without needing to take each other on yet"**_

"_**Yeah sure".**_ Tristan replies, unconvinced with Domic's reasoning. Clearly remembering the fact that in Domics coaching contract that should either Seth or Tristan win a tournament. Domic gets a 15% cut of the prize money on top of the salary and travelling expenses they already pay him.

Both Tristan and Seth look at the top of each other's itinerary. It was true Seth was going to the Mahogany Town Challenger whilst Tristan was going the opposite direction to the Olivine City Challenger. If you want to talk to me about it, can it wait til another day. I've got to hurry back to Goldenrod East airport and get a plane to Blackthorn Town for tomorrow and train a doubles battle team there. Domic with his rucksack over one shoulder walked off as Seth and Tristan stood and bid him farewell as they return the Pokémon back in to their Pokeballs. They too had planned to leave as well but since Domic already said his goodbyes it would of felt awkward if they followed him immediately so they stood there for a few minutes talking before deciding to leave the arena. The park although well-lit at this hour with the vast amount of lampposts it was still an uncomfortably eerie place to walk through when it starts to get dark. The howls and cries of the Zubats and Noctowls sitting in the trees didn't help matters to much either. The trepidation didn't last too long though as they soon walked past the National Park gates and arrived to the top of Route 34 and the glow of Goldenrod city could be seen in the distance. Apart from the occasional car sweeping past on the road it was a surprisingly calm night. The roads that lead out of and in to the Johto capital are notoriously busy a blockade of cars is typically a common sight every morning, evening and night

The two trainers decided to relax for a few minutes on a set of table and chairs provided outside a small food stand enroute to the city. The stall owner walked over with a tray in hand and gave them both a coffee and a slice of pizza from the stand. The two trainers raise a slight protest before the stall owner explained that they may as well have it as it was just going to be thrown away anyway. Both appreciating the coincidence thank the stall owner with a quick nod and a smile and make a contented hum. Both take a few minutes enjoying the warm pepperoni pizza and coffee in silence.

"_**You're not due in Mahogany Town for another fortnight, so why are you heading off next week? **_Tristan spoke as he huddled his hands around the hot coffee mug for warmth

"_**I'm heading off earlier than normal as I'm going to trek it to Mahogany Town"** _he puts his coffee mug away from his lips and back on to the table

"_**Trek it!?"**_ Tristan snapped loudly.  
"_**Seth, Mahogany Town is miles away!?"**_

"_**Yeah I know"**_ Seth casually answers chewing the pizza lightly  
"_**But I think it will be fun doing that**_, _**it takes me back to the time when I was a young teen and I spent what must have been an entire August just walking and camping all the way from my home in Saffron City to Cinnabar Island just to challenge the fire type gym leader" **_Seth took a large gulp of coffee before continuing on  
"_**You know, back when the gyms had any relevance in the sport, and back when Cinnebar Island wasn't completely devoured by lava. Honestly what guy looked at that Volcano and said I know! I'll build town here!"**_

Tristan smirked in agreement

"_**The trip going to take you long?"**_

"_**No about four days, five tops. Either way I should get there in time for tournament registration and still have a day spare to prep and maybe walk around the town." **_With the mug empty Seth seats it back down on to the saucer"

_**"How about you? Something tells me you're not the camping type."**_

Tristan laughs as his reflex stops him from putting the slice of pizza in to this mouth

_**"Heh heh, yeah you have a point there. But I don't think I'm being too fussy when I say I prefer to sleep in a place where I'm not alone in the fecking woods."  
**__**"But anyway"**_ Tristan waves his hands along with the pizza in an effort to go back to the original question  
"_**I'm just going to take a short flight to Olivine City stay at a Pokemon Centre or Hostel for the Contender event there and I'll probably be doing the same for most of the Johto leg of the season."**_

They both sat there in a contented silence taking in the calm serenity of route 34 in the cold night, The stall owner unintentionally introduces himself again as he brings the shutter down on his stall. With a hat on his head and scarf round his neck he claps his hands together rubbing them together in a vein attempt to get warm, He raises a hand and bids the two trainers farewell

_**"Ill be seeing you lads, don't worry about the coffee mugs just leave them on the table Ill clean them tommorrow. Have a good night and the best of luck to you both"**_

_**"Same to you mate**_" Seth replied, Tristan showed a hand nod to return the gesture as the Stall owner walks back towards the National Park entrance

_**"Come on! **_Tristan spoke polishing off the last few drops from his tea  
_**"We better get back to our apartments before the weather gets colder and the city starts getting a bit treacherous"**_

They both stood up from the table and walked the rest of the way down Route 34 back to Goldenrod City

* * *

Whew. Sorry for a late update, Things have gotten a bit busy again since I've started University again and a Volunteering job in-between as well. Im still targeting for at least a chapter a month so hopefully I can get Chapter 4 out by Mid November.

Ill be honest I do find the proof reading to be a bit of a chore. But Ill fight my way through it just like every other writer


	4. You're a trainer? & Youre a journalist?

**Long Road to Number One**  
**Chapter 4**  
**You're a trainer? and You're a journalist?**

* * *

It was an downcast early Monday morning as Seth stood on the small balcony of his apartment casually smoking a cigarette amidst the torrential downpour of rain, however the balcony of the apartment above him was keeping dry and the patio heater standing next to him was keeping him warm despite only wearing plain plaid shirt and some jeans. Grey skies are wrapped over Goldenrod City like a monochrome blanket. He looks back round towards the inside of his apartment. Laid out on the floor was his rucksack and some basic camping provisions for his trip up to Mahogany Town and his entire team of six Pokémon each of them locked inside their Pokeball. He did have his concerns though. Whilst Staravia, Umbreon and Raichu were diligently trained during the off-season he couldn't really say the same for the other three that he sent to his parents in Celadon City who ran a small Pokemon Day-care centre. It wasn't that he didn't trust them to do a great job it's just one of those paranoia's that Pokémon trainers get when they leave there Pokémon in the care of others. However he will worry about that in due course and perhaps try and catch up with the rest of his team during the trip.

Today was the morning of his departure to Mahogany Town and for his first tournament of the new season. Whilst the season for the sports Major League. The Pokemon World Tour is not due to start for another three weeks, his coach insisted in competing in a couple of the Minor League Contender Tour tournaments to warm up and dust off the cobwebs before the serious work kicks in. Seth now finished with his cigarette put the tan coloured filter in to an ashtray that he keeps on the floor of balcony. Previously he would of tried to discard them in to a bin twelve floors below, but a small incident involving a cigarette, and a landlord who suddenly developed a weird fascination of staring at sky above Seth's apartment with his mouth open a few days ago put paid to that little game of his.

He switched off the patio heater and locked the balcony door one last time before stuffing his collected provisions in to a large rucksack. The weight of the tent, camping stove and sleeping bag combined with his spare clothes, food, Pokémon related supplies made this is a very encumbering and unflattering thing to take. Despite this being Seth's third season on the tour as a professional trainer he still hasn't adjusted to some of aspects of the travelling trainers' life. Upon making sure everything in his apartment is switched off and that the security alarm is activated he leaves his home. After locking the door he gently pats it with his palm bidding it farewell for at least the next three weeks as he made his way to the elevator ready to start the season long odyssey once again. As he imagines the tough times and disappointments that he will inevitably have to overcome and but he also fantasies the great things that he hopes to achieve in his head, just to give him a quick boost of self belief a ready to take on the world sensation

**_"Oh for fuck sake! What do you mean the sodding thing is out of order" _**Seth moans as he stares with scorn at the out of order sign sellotaped to the metal doors. He and his large rucksack made its way towards the stairwell letting off whispered swears which echoed upon reaching each of the eleven floors.

An hour had passed as Seth slowly sips a can of Ranch Lite branded energy cola he bought from a vending machine inside the seemingly always busy Goldenrod Department Store. The soda wasn't that good for a special trip in to the superstore, but Seth visited it one last time in the vague hope of a discount on a Steel Wing TM he had been eyeing up some time for his Staravia. But as much as he tried to haggle with the floor manager it was all in vain. She refused to budge from the P$5,000 asking price, and so he left the store dejected, Steel Wing less and with nothing but an overpriced soda in his right hand and a resentment for the company policy of hiring a battleaxe of a manager. As he walked through the brass plated revolving doors to leave the store, he ran in to Tristan. They both exchanged a quick bit of conversation fully aware of the passing stares and disapproving groans from other shoppers as they both stand in the way of the doors. Tristan couldn't help but notice the overpriced rucksack on Seth's shoulders remarking that he looked like an over prepared child on his first day at secondary school. Although he was snickering to himself he knew that the rucksack meant that Seth was departing for Mahogany Town today and he bid him a quick farewell regardless.

**_"Give me a call when you get the chance to whilst you're in Mahogany Town"._** Tristan reached out his hand for a quick fist bump before both trainers parted ways

**_"Oh, by the way!"  
_****_"If you get knocked out in the first round, don't lie. The internet knows all_**" as he presented a large touchscreen device from his pocket with a deviously knowing smile, Seth smiled back and raised his eyebrows as if to say whatever to his part-time friend and part-time rival

**_"I can say the same for you when you're in Olivine City. It's been a bitch to me the last two seasons!" _**Seth said with a forced smile as his last two visits to Olivine City have resulted in early eliminations

Tristan laughed as he raised his hand for a quick wave before heading in to the large department store. Seth waved back just before he turned round making his way back up to the pedestrian section for the North Gate exit of Goldenrod City. The gate was un-surprisingly not very busy at this hour considering the fact it had been an incredibly damp morning thanks to the torrential rainstorm. Yet despite the large amount of space in which to manoeuvre it didn't stop a cyclist from almost ploughing straight in to the back of him as the cyclist zoomed past at a pointlessly fast speed.

_**"Slow down you prick"**_ Seth thought as those were the words he really wanted to say but in the end decided not to. He wanted to avoid a fight. Well at the very least avoid a fight before the season actually begins

**_"So long, Goldenrod"_** Seth said out loud to himself exiting the city border

A few hours had passed and so had the rain clouds as a bright pale blue sky that not so long ago would of been a miraculous sight is now the only thing that can be seen in the sky. However the February Chill from last week still refused to leave as Seth now had to wear a red parker jacket over his sports training jacket hoping that the weather forecast about it warming up in a few days' time would turn out to be correct for once. Despite getting side-tracked by taking a short but reflective visit back to the long abandoned Training Grounds. Seth was now at the end of park lobby just resting on some benches for a few minutes with a sipping tea from a vacuum flask he filled from a nearby vending machine, quietly psyching himself up for what was going to be a long trek through route 35.

If you were to travel as the flying type Pokémon flies or better yet travel on an actual Pokémon than the travelling time from each city could be cut down from days in to hours. But in the last few years almost every major city has banned people from flying in using their Pokémon unless you have a special permit in order to do so. Supposedly there were too many in air collision caused by many peoples inexperience with commanding a Pokémon mid-flight and too many injuries and close calls with bystanders occurred when a Pokémon would swoop in to land, that in the end most city councils had to put a stop to or it or at the very least regulate who was allowed to fly. Needless to say a lot of trainers were not happy with that decision, as direct air travel from city to city was prohibitively expensive for a lot of trainers over the course of an entire season and the only alternatives was either using the slow and understaffed public transportation, carpool with other trainers or to walk, cycle, climb and surf your way to tournaments. Of course this didn't stop some trainers just choosing to fly and land on a city outskirt but you still had to avoid the legions of city officials who were waiting to hand out fines and restraining orders banning you from the city for a certain duration of time even if that was the city in which you live in

However despite the finger numbing cold, the deep cerulean blue of the sky made the trip far more tolerable. There was no denying that route 35 although long and meandering was an incredibly scenic part of Johto to journey through, even in winter as the narrow pathway soon leads out in to a wide open meadow. Seth's head and neck were seemingly operating under their own accord desperate to take in everything around it from the statuesque trees that are scattered along the perimeter of the meadow, which despite lacking that foliage that often provides dry relief to the unprepared during a rainstorm, still manages to impress as its colossally sized branches stands out as marvel of their own.

Thanks to the hilly nature of Route 35, one quick look backwards and Goldenrod City reveals itself in its entirety as countless skyscrapers are scattered along the skyline like plot points on a graph, numerous yet soulless. However to the far west of the city was the Johto Radio Tower. It black steel mast like structure punctures the sky like a knife in to satin sheets. Providing a signal so strong even people living in the distant Kalos Region could listen to Pokemon March, and to the east side is the iconic white arch that seemingly hovers over the Pokeathlon Stadium like a steel link halo as the piercing thud of the Magnet Train echoes through the air disrupting the solace for a brief second.

The cluster and sheen of the Johto Capital makes nearby Violet City look like a quaint little village in comparison. As Seth continued on his way, the spire of the Sprout Tower is seemingly straining itself trying to be seen as it does its best to establish itself over its less metropolitan surroundings and the nearby Ruins of Alph that appears to be trapped in a perpetual translucent fog. Taking in the environment around him it felt kind of cruel to leave his Pokémon in their cramped little capsules he crouches down and digs in to ruck sack and grabs two of the six that he brought along with him and throws the first one in to the air. Staravia is the first to top out as it lets out a cry and flies around in the circles with glee in to the sky. He stared upwards as his Pokémon flies boundlessly in the sky.

**_"C'mon Deino get back up and use tackle!"_**

Seth was distracted by a yelling coming from the distance. His eyes dart towards the source of the commotion ahead he spots a fallen Deino in the distance it. Its large protruding horn and blue body is unmistakeable whilst just a few meters away a red and white capped trainer was yelling trying to will it on. Instinct quickly takes over as he runs as fast he could with the heavy rucksack round his shoulders before giving up and dropping it on the floor.

**_"Staravia! Sit on my rucksack and make sure nothing goes near it"_** Seth ordered as Staravia glided down on to the rucksack and perched itself before crowing in acknowledgement.

Still running towards the battle hearing an unpleasant squelching sound as his feet pound the dew and rain soaked earth leaving small boot shaped imprints as he got closer he could see that Deino was up against one pissed off looking Sudowoodo. Knowing it is a rock type he had the perfect Pokémon to counter it

**_"Croconaw come on out!" _**He yelled as he threw the Pokeball forward and a blue crocodile like Pokémon appeared. It jumped happily alongside at him first, happy to see his master again for the first time in a long while, Seth smiled back before yelling to get the other persons attention  
**_"Hey! Do you want any help!?_**" Seth shouted to the cap wearing trainer

**_"Yeah go for it"_** She replied as she escorted Deino back to safety

**_"Croconaw use water gun on Sudowoodo" _**Seth yells and points his finger directly at the target as a jet of water spouts out from Croconaw's jaw at an alarming pace, Sudowoodo caught unaware was propelled a few meters in to the air before landing awkwardly on to the floor. Sudowoodo enraged by the ambush runs in to attack as its bulbous hands glow ready to use hammer arm  
**_"Croconaw roll to your left and dodge it!" _**Croconaw obeys as it rolls away just as Sudowoodo jumps up launching its Hammer arm attack as it cleaves through the air striking the ground in which Croconaw once stood leaving nothing but a mould of its fist in to the damp ground as it clenches its bulbous hand in pain as the moist earth is like an acid to the rock type instigator  
**_"Great now jump up and use aqua tail!" _**Sudowoodo aiming to catch the blue crocodile like Pokémon in mid-air jumps and turns around and reaches his arms out to grab it  
**_"Quick! Use water gun on the floor!" _**The water jets propulsion launches Croconaw skywards just as Sudowoodos hand collide together clamping nothing but water to which Sudowoodo retracts his hands in pain.  
**_"Now spin Croconaw!" _**Croconaw nodding towards his trainer ceases his water gun as he first controls the inertia of his body and transitions itself in to pirouette as it descends  
**_"Use Aqua Tail!" _**Croconaws rotation speed whilst slow at first soon accelerated as his body resembled a spinning top. The red barbs of his tail glow at first until the whole tail is bathed in a gold light as his tail swipes Sudowoodo in the back of his head. On impact a rush of water explodes outwards propelling Sudowoodo sideways. Sudowoodo sensing defeat picks himself up off the floor and darts in to the nearby shrubbery and makes his escape  
**_"Nice job Crocy_**" Seth said as he walked over to the blue crocodile like creature and he patted it on the head. It growled happily as it grabbed Seth's leg and rubs its face in to it affectionately

**_"Hey! thanks for the save their"_**. The girl from earlier said aloud as she walked up to Seth with her hand stretched out and a small smile on her face

**_"No worries_**". Seth smiled as she shook her hand back noticing her denim jacket and a small ultra-ball insignia sewed on to a chest pocket He quickly peered behind her and saw the exhausted looking Deino panting on the floor.  
**_"You're Deino gonna be alright?"_** Seth asked with some concern for the exhausted creature noticing how the fringe of its fur covers its eyes.

**_"Oh yeah she'll be fine. I mean she's just a little tired and annoyed right now but she will be ok"  
_****_"Won't you girl"._** She said as her hand vigorously ruffled the exhausted dragon type Pokémon's head who just grunted with a sense of dejection  
**_"Oh the names Natalya by the way. Natalya Pulaski sports journalist…. sort of" _**She said trailing off still tending to her Deino

**_"Seth. Seth Dia, Pokémon Trainer" _**He answered back

A few minutes passed whilst Seth stood around in silence really wanting to make sure that Deino who was at this point having one of its shins bandaged by Natalya was ok before he would press on with his trip

**_"Hey if you have some time spare, I've got some stew brewing by my tent. After that Sudowoodo, I think at least owe you a lunch"_** She said noticing that Seth hasn't moved from his spot

Seth nodded "**_Er yeah be great if you don't min….."_**

Seth attention was distracted by the sound of a squawking Staravia as it flaps it wings vigorously trying to bat away a curious Pichu and Pancham from the large rucksack. Both Pokémon were no doubt trying to search for food.

**_"Umm just give me a minute"_** Seth said before running back to his equipment as Natalya let out a slight chuckle

Both Seth and Natalya seated themselves on some small tripod like camping chairs quietly consuming a warm vegetable and rice stew out of the aluminium mess tins that the blacked haired journalist provided. Whilst Deino, Croconaw and Staravia were eating just beside them in a small little circle eating from a large bowl in the centre exchanging small bits of chatter in there own unique language. A somewhat awkward silence between the two developed as the two them as they stared down towards their lunch

**_"Umm You don't mind if I have cigarette do you Natalya?" _**Seth asked not wanting to appear rude

**_"Yeah sure go for it"  
_****_"To be honest I'm glad you asked as I'm eager for one myself"_** She said as her voice developed a strain as she stretched out her arms upwards relieving some tension

Seth held out a small carton of Golden Ember branded cigarettes. It wasn't the healthiest means of creating conversation but it did help as both trainers discovered a thing in common. They both made sure to keep any smoke away from the Pokémon sitting next to them

**_"Say Seth I'm curious where abouts is a "Pokémon trainer" like you heading too. You know the gyms stopped awarding badges years ago right and the world doesn't need any more heroes after Team Rocket and the other terror groups disbanded". _**Natalya asked with a curious yet sympathetic and determined desire for an answer expression on her face.

**_"Yep definitely a journalist"_** Seth thought.

**_"Oh yeah I know that, I'm actually on my way to Mahogany Town. There is Contender Level Tournament taking place there. I'm just using it to prepare before the World Tour kicks in_**." Seth answered back staring intently down towards stew as he scooped a up a large amount with his spoon. He was obviously hungrier than he thought he was

**_"Wait did you say Contender Tour and World Tour. Shit! You're an actual professional trainer?!" _**The surprise in her loud voice brought Seth's attention back up towards her, as she hurriedly placed her bowl firmly on to the floor"

**_"Umm yeah"_** Seth feeling slightly hurt by that remark and her surprise

**_"Crap sorry I didn't mean it like that,_**" As she raised both palms of her hands slightly upwards defensively in apology  
**_"It just when you said you were a Pokémon Trainer. I just assumed you were one of those types of people who never really grew up and you call yourself a Pokemon Trainer. So you can go round travelling the world thinking you're protecting people when in actuality you don't want to get a proper job" _**She carried on attempting to explain and to dig herself out of the hole of an insult she made as she now rummages around through her pockets.

**_"Uh-Huh" _**Seth not really knowing what to think just uttered a noise but to be fair he has come across people like that before, he stared, watching the girl opposite fumble around with her pockets until she takes her Smartphone out.

**_"You're surname is Dia right?" _**Natalya asks excitedly to which Seth nods**_. _**She franticly swipes her thumb on the touchscreen looking for a specific webpage as Seth glances down towards the Pokémon that are still eating

**_"This is you right?" _**Natalya stretches out her arm with the phones screen facing towards Seth. Natalya had found her way on to the Professional Pokemon Tour Association website and managed to find Seth's profile. He recoiled inwardly upon seeing his name and passport style photo at the very top of page. The photo was taken a few years back when he was going through what could only be described as a grunge phase with his exceptionally dishevelled hair, so dishevelled in fact it covered one of his eyes. Now he knows why he took such protective instinct to her Deino

**_"Yeah that's me…"_** He scratches the back of his now less hairy head in slight embarrassment. As he made an internal note in his mind to source a new photo and have that profile updated. She took the phone back reading the profile announcing some of Seth's statistics out loud.

**"_Lets see… World Tour Tournament wins, zero_**" "**_Contender Tour Tournament wins,_** **_also zero_**" She said with a little too much disappointment for Seths ears

**_"Hey I made five finals!" _**He whined back

**_"They don't mean much if you don't win them" _**He merely smirked at that comment having heard it twice too many times now. She carried on reading glancing over some of the information quietly in her head until one statistic stuck out

**_"World Ranking 163rd hmm" _**Natalya paused with a curiosity at the last statistic

**_"You know when I said was a sort of journalist. I'm actually just studying it at the moment. I go to Celadon University. _**She casually mentioned as she drops the cigarette on the floor before crushing it with her foot  
**_"Oh but the reason why I'm out here is because I'm meant to be on Placement. But I couldn't get an internship anywhere so I figured I would just travel to events and report it on to my website". _**Seth politely nodded engaged with what she had to say  
**_"The reason I'm telling you is, that I don't suppose I could report your progress and follow you could I? At least just for your tournaments around Johto" _**Her voice and expression took on a slight pleading tone yet nothing that could be considered unprofessional.

Seth slightly taken aback by this request almost choked on the cigarette fumes

**_"Just hear me out. Imagine the angle that I take your story with. The life of a no name underdog trainer striving to survive against the wealthy and talented" _**She said with a glimmer in her eyes as she gesticulated her hands and arms building up a sense of un warranted theatrics to proceedings**_. _**Seth again felt a little hurt by her description and felt as though that she wasn't doing herself any favours  
**_"I could really get some more readers here, or maybe even a freelance job! and you too could get some exposure out of it!"_** She added that last bit in rather hastily still trying to convince.  
**_"I've been going through a dry spot right now and I know if I can shadow a trainer and get some insights on the everyday life of a professional Pokémon trainer like yourself I'll get an awesome portfolio" _**

Not wanting to get her hopes to high Seth has to subdue the excitement somewhat**_  
"I don't know... I mean you've seen my ranking right? I'm professional yeah but It's not luxurious life, There is a lot of hostels, resting in fairly remote Pokémon Centres, and a lot of walking involved, I can just about pay for myself. _**He said with a sense of trepidation trying to question Natalya commitment to this project of hers even if Seth gave it the greenlight

**_"Dude I've been camping out and hiking for the last month. I have to my steal Wi-Fi access for my Laptop from nearby Cafes and Libraries whenever I'm in a city, just so I can add the work on to my website. And don't get me started about the amount of times I've had to stealthily find a place to relieve myself" _**Seth winced a little as stared down towards his bowl of stew. That case of too much information just spoiled his appetite. Though he took a minute to think about the offer. Whilst he did have concerns about it distracting him from his training and tournament schedule. But the company might not be a bad idea and she seemed to be a more than capable traveller and she was honest too, perhaps even to a fault.

**_"Oh and you don't need to worry about me financially. I took up a few part time jobs last year so I've got enough to look after myself." _**Natalya mentioned wanting to prove that she wouldn't be a burden

**_"Alright sounds good to me"._** Seth raised his hand for a quick shake to which Natalya was quick to react to

**_ "But just to let you know I have to make it Mahogany Town in Six days for tournament registration" _**He added just as a warning

**_Thanks very much. Don't worry sir I won't hold you back! There is a rule in journalism don't piss off the person you're reporting on as you don't know when they might bite you in the ass. _**Natalya joyously said with a wide smile on her eyes close and her finger up in the air like a teacher delivering what she believed to be an effective advice

**_In that case do you mind if you pack up your tent? I mean I would like to get to the outskirts of Violet City before it gets to cold and dark and to go any further_**. Seth mentioned scratching his neck with an apologetic expression on his face

**_"Aww really I was getting comfortable here" _**She moaned but still she walked towards tent pegs digging plucking out from the ground ready to pack up 

* * *

**Phew that's another chapter done :) Apologies for the delay, I did have this planned for upload last week but a thing called Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth came out (on my birthday no less) and that has pre occupied most of time during the evening lately. Whilst Uni things took up my time during the day. **

**Hope you enjoy it :) I welcome any review and comment (constructive of course)**


	5. The 'Mists' of Mt Mortar

Hi everyone it has been way too long since I have updated this story. Around two years almost. Things got crazy with University but I am done with it officially. I am now a graduate so the only thing that will get in the way now is work... great. Uploading another chapter just to prove that I'm not dead and that this story has not been officially abandoned yet.

Anyway, thank you for reading this far. I hope you enjoy.

* * *

Another typically bright but cold afternoon in the centre of the Johto region. The sky is an enchanting pale blue hypnotic and soothing as the calm breeze wafts across, ruffling the leaves of nearby trees. One must be careful with days like this staring up at the sky for one second too long and you can almost feel yourself falling into it the longer that you stare up into its boundless yet captivating emptiness.

Three days have passed since aspiring sports journalist Natalya joined Seth for his journey across the Johto leg of his tournament schedule. The conversation has flowed like a river between the two as they attempt to break down any potential awkwardness with idle bits of chit chat and banter often at one another's expense fully aware of the prosperousness of their own ambitions. As Natalya described it. As a journalist, she is a vulture stalking and detailing the experiences of an arguably failing pro-trainer trainer. If anything she has more to gain in Seth failing. People don't really care about someone working their way up into a privileged job but they want every gruesome detail about how they might fall from it. Success is only happy to the person it happens to and the failure is amusing to everyone else

Mahogany Town and the Mahogany Challenger tournaments await Seth, except there, is one problem that goes by the name of Mt Mortar

"Okay well this is going to be problematic" Seth spoke aloud to himself as his sights switched between the two bodies of water toward the east and the small cave opening directly in front of him

"Seth, you have travelled around Johto before, How could you forget about the giant mountain in the middle of the region"

"Cut me some slack will you!"  
"Yes I have walked all around Johto but I haven't needed to get to Mahogany Town by foot since my days on the Rising Tour"  
"Back then the prize money on offer wouldn't even pay for a bike let alone some form of transport to the town, " He said muttering under his breath

Natalya sighed frustrated, "You don't have a water type on you at all do you" Seth shook his head sideways indicating that was a firm no  
"Great. I don't either and your lighter is hardly going to illuminate anything"she said accusingly pointing towards the cave entrance  
"Also it doesn't help that we decided to both be idiots together and neglected to recharge our Pokegears at the Pokemon Centre as well" During Natalya vocalisation of her thoughts Seth had a small smile on his face

"Wait. Hold on to that lighter plan, Do you have a bottle of deodorant on you at all. I've got a plan"

"Oh yeah, we won't get arrested for arson at all if we do that!"

"Geez cool your jets will you that was a joke"  
"It's a good thing I didn't suggest farting into the lighter"

The two of them silently checked their Pokegears seeing that they both had around 15% of battery life remaining. They could use the flashlight built into them but odds are they would find themselves trapped in the mountains cave route with no means of contact for a rescue and have no light source to help with navigation

"Do you have a Pokemon that knows Flash" Natalya asked

"Hah! that move is about as useful as breasts on a nun. I haven't known a trainer bothering to teach a Pokemon that move for almost 10 years now" Seth Chuckled

"Hey! do you guys need a hand at all!?". A mysterious stranger shouted as he approached, dressed in denim overalls with newspaper boy cap draped over his brown hair his voice slightly muffled by his long brown beard. He waved to both Seth and Natalya whilst standing on a Gyarados that brought him towards the shore a Crobat was happily standing next to him as well. Sensing the nervousness between the two trainers as the intimidatingly large sea serpent approached

"Don't be scared, he is a gentle beast, trust me to have the softest Gyarados in all of Johto" His voice was one that was both full of passion but had a grizzled edge that carried its own set of experiences. It wasn't a voice that you would describe as academic but one that would tell you how to wire a plug correctly

"Do you both want a lift to Mahogany Town? I'm heading back that way anyway." The stranger spoke his thumb gesturing behind him

"Yes sir that would be much appreciated if you could give us one" Natalya spoke with a politeness that seemed almost alien to Seth and herself. Whilst she knew you had to be careful around strangers she felt as though she had no reason not to trust him her intuition was telling her so

"Have you seen me milady!?" He said gesturing his hands towards his worn torso.  
"You won't see many sirs or knights with a beard like this," the stranger said stroking it with pride  
"Just call me Marty" Marty extended his hand toward the two of them, Natalya made contact first purposely increasing the strength of her grip. Marty then brought his hand toward Seth who he stared at with an intense gaze that did not go unnoticed by him

"and you are Seth Dia aren't ya?" He quizzically expressed. Seth startled at Marty knowing his name

"Umm yes, how did you know?"

"You're a pro trainer aren't ya."  
"I remember seeing your name and face at the Tournament in Mahogany Town last year when I took my kids. I don't follow the sport much nowadays but the kids love it"

"Ah cool. Good to know that there are some youngsters who care about what goes on in the minor leagues" Seth grinned, happy to know that some people can see beyond the glitz of the World Tour in Pokemon battling

"I take em every year. The lack of big names kind of helps them appreciate and relate to the sport more when they see you guys scrapping around in the minor leagues, no offence" Marty raised his palms defensively to a nonplussed Seth

"None taken, I know what you mean" After a moments silence Marty gestured to the two of them to jump onto Gyarados's back who laid half of its body flat on the shore so they could climb on easier

"Just be sure to pat him on the head a bit, before you get on, he loves to be fussed over and all that jazz"

Both Seth and Natalya happily made a fuss of the giant blue sea-serpent who happily repeated his name with a smile and his large tail wagging slowly but joyfully at the affection he was receiving before the two of them joined Marty on the Sea serpents back.

* * *

Ten minutes had passed as the three of them were riding on the water/flying Pokemon back. Whilst Seth was busy happily answering the questions that Marty had about being a professional Pokemon trainer. Natalya was busy thinking about why a guy like Marty would be here. The Magikarp and occasional Goldeen jumping out of the water seemed to serve as proof to her about this not really being the ideal training spot for Pokemon of the likes of Gyarados and Golbat.

"Excuse me Marty" Natalya interrupted as soon as there was silence between the two guys.  
"I'm just curious what are you doing out in a place like this are you an environment worker or something like that?"

"Not really" His voice took on a heavier tone, shoulders slumped down the weight of his words fell like a lead balloon  
"How do I explain this delicately..." Marty paused choosing his next words carefully  
"It's a bit bleak perhaps and if I'm honest its not really a job... more a..a... a duty"

"A duty?" they both questioned in unison

"Yeah... I don't suppose you have ever gotten to a point in your life that you just want to walk into the mist never to return..."  
"...Well Mt Mortar has become that place in which people do just that" Marty continued giving further context to his duty although he never explicitly mentioned the S word, the outright anguish in his tone of voice was enough to convey the point

"Why has Mt Mortar become that type of place?" Natalya asked not being a Johto native sensing there must be more to this place than what can be seen

"I'm not too sure myself milady, from what I can tell there seems to be a sense of romanticism to mountains like this. When you are up high away from all the noise of the people below you are truly alone with your thoughts and with so few people bothering to ramble across these mountains anymore it is unlikely that anyone can find you" Marty sighed deeply before continuing on  
"Some find that the sheer height of this place brings them closer to their creator in some way as well" Those are some of the things I have heard from the people that myself Crobat and Gyarados have found anyway..." Marty's voice trails off once more as he stares toward the peak of Mt Mortar a silence fills the air until Seth speaks up

"Natalya. you may not be aware of this being a Sinnoh native and to be fair neither am I, but when you are living in Johto you learn very quickly that Ecruteak City can be considered to be a spiritual place of sorts."  
"The remains of the Brass Tower you know the burnt one to the west of the city. That caught alight and burnt down many many years ago supposedly from lightning striking the spire. The Brass Tower at the time was said to be the home of the silver guardian Lugia who roosted atop of it next to its counterpart Ho-Oh who sat atop Bell Tower toward the east"

"Whilst Lugia managed to flee the fire and supposedly find refuge in the Whirl Islands, three now unknown Pokémon were also known to of made the Brass Tower their home perished within the flames. Ho-Oh's final act before he flew away from Ecruteak City was to reincarnate the spirit and souls of those Pokemon who perished in that fire to who Johto Natives regard as the Legendary dogs of Entei, Raikou and Suicune. Johto still awaits the return of Ho-Oh and Lugia to this day"

"There are many interpretations of what exactly happened and what is the true lore surrounding Ecruteak but to me it that is one that just seems to fit" Seth finished his explanation in a rare attempt at scholarly to Natalya who was standing in silence listening intently before turning back round toward the mountains as Marty spoke up once more

"Aye historical references may indeed lend Ecrueak that romantic justification for simply fading away as it could bring a promise of becoming something greater just like them three unknown Pokemon"  
"It is incredible that in an era that is now fraught with so many problems and insecurities and ways that we could overcome them we can forget the simple things of just finding someone to talk to person to person. Someone who can look them in the eyes and tell them that someone cares."

"It's not so much that we are fraught with them. We've always had those problems.. its just now its okay to talk about them, a bit too late, but at least now its okay not to constantly lie about how we are feeling" Seth interjected his tone became ever more serious

Marty's right hand rummaged through his pockets and he lifted from it a brown wallet he quickly opened it and showed the two of them a photo from it

"I still have a family to help support whilst the wife who I dearly love works an office job in Ecruteak to cover the mortgage and bills. I still need to work part-time to make sure I can give her and my kids the nice things in life that they deserve."  
"I want to be here 24/7 but unfortunately I can't, however being here every Tuesday and Thursday is the least I could do to honour the man who devoted his life to this duty and for saving me from these mists". He speaks these words with an anguish but with a hope at the same time. Seth quickly glanced at her travelling partner he could see that Natalya wanted to ask more but bit her tongue so as not to pry too deeply

"Anyway look ahead we are almost at the shore" His voice picked up close to the optimistic tones of how he introduced himself.

Both Seth and Natalya turned to face the shore they could see the pathway of Route 42, the final stretch on the road toward Mahogany Town. The streetlights hung over the pathway in an almost inviting manner the way that they twist and turn with the path as the gaps between each one fade in to a blur as they looked further ahead. The three of them gently disembarked off of Gyarados who laid himself flat on the shoreline before patting him on the head once again.

"By the way, it has been a pleasure to ferry you both across these waters". Natalya. best of luck with your journalism milady. I've only been around you for an hour or so but I can see that you have a fire in your belly and a warm patience to you I'm sure you can do whatever you set your mind to, not enough people listen nowadays anyway" Marty with a determined smile on his face reached out his hand for Natalya who obliged back

"Seth best of luck at the Mahogany Town tournament and to the rest of your career. Train hard and keep your ego in check and you will do well."  
If you are ever in the area again be sure to visit. It is not often I get to just chat around these parts anymore" They both shook hands and exchanged a determined smile

"Oh and one more thing, Can you sign this Pokeball for me." Marty grabbed a Pokeball and marker pen from his pocket before pressing the button in the centre to make it larger  
"I'm sure my kid will love it if it is signed by a trainer he has seen in battle, and if he doesn't well... Here's hoping you become world number one Pokemon and I can sell it for a fortune online" Seth laughed as carefully plucked the Pokeball from Marty's hand. Minor League trainers never really have to do much of this sort of thing and Seth was no exception he carefully signed his name before taking a few seconds to work out what message he should write before adding a small smiley face at the end. Meanwhile, Natalya was busy rummaging through her rucksack to retrieve her Pokegear once again.

"Hey, Marty mind if can take a group photo together Crobat and Gyarados included. I've got a piece I would like to write about" Marty smiled and nodded as she attempted to frame the shot as carefully as she could factoring in the lack of battery life on the device. She took a couple steps back and so did Seth who was glancing at the screen until she pressed a button and a flash of light appeared"

"Excellent Marty thanks for that, just one more thing" She then rummaged through her rucksack again for a few seconds before bringing out the contraption she was after. She stuck the phone into some type of clamp as a telescopic pole appeared from the bottom of it increasing its size

"Huh, never thought you would be the selfie type, " Seth said aloud i a smug tone. Arms crossed with an indignant smirk of a smile  
"Nah I'm not but it's a good thing to hold the phone in when it's on torch mode. Now shut up and get in frame will you"

Seth hurriedly stood in front of Marty who was crouching down to his and Natalya height so he and the Crobat resting on his right shoulder can level to try and get in shot

"The first one was for the article the second one was for me" one click later and she got the photo she desired  
"Thank You, fellas" she smiled as she hurriedly scrambled her thumbs to the album to examine the photo

The three of them then had a quick look at their group selfie before her Pokegears battery completely exhausts itself. The photo showed the three of them standing and smiling towards the camera with the scaly blue body of Gyarados acting as the background. She then packed away her equipment as Marty was boarding onto Gyarados's back before gesturing his loyal Pokemon toward the lakes once again and Seth psyched himself up for the final two miles to Mahogany Town

"One last thing you two". Marty shouted to the two of them who were about to head off.  
"The wife and the boy have gotten into some weird charm making hobby" I have a few of the things they have made on that bench over there. Feel free to take one each on the table over there and if you have any change spare feel free to chuck it into the pot. I'm not sure what my wife intends to do with it all but knowing her she's going to get the boy something nice with it"

With that being his last words he waved one last time to the two of them before Gyarados carried him away once again. Both Seth and Natalya walked toward the bench and there they saw were various charms and bracelets weaved together with some soft coloured rubber cord. Seth picked up the red and black one and placed it around his wrist

"Ah damn, you took the one I wanted, let's see... I'll go for the green and white one" Natalya grabbed a handful of coins in her pockets and placed them into the near empty pot

Ten Pokedollars seems fair right she said to Seth who did not reply he seemed very preoccupied with the accouchement around his wrist

"Yo Seth, you alright" She waved her hand across his face

"Huh err yeah sorry. I spaced out a bit there didn't I"  
"Sorry I just feel a tad melancholic now that things are placed into perspective you know" Seth took a deep breath looking up into the sky and then back down to the ground before facing Natalya directly

"Hey, Natalya. When I finally make it as a Pokemon trainer remind me of this day once again"

"I want to make sure that Marty gets all the help he needs for this duty of his . We need more people like him in this world" Seth took out his wallet and placed a fifty Pokedollar note into the small pot hiding it under the few coins that are in their in an attempt to hide it away from any prying eyes that may walk past.

"Again Seth You sure you're okay." The journalist quizzed not wanting to draw attention to the large note he donated

Oh yeah yeah, I'm fine. Cmon 'milady' we better get going. If we hurry I can get myself officially registered for the tournament with days to spare and you can get your story written and uploaded.

Natalya chuckled "So you picked up on that whole Milady thing as well then?"

"How could I not. You're not exactly the dainty delicate type are ya"

"Course not, I'm pretty sure I can kick your ass in a fight. Still though feels nice to be spoken to like royalty from someone who isn't trying to hit on me, though" Seth smiled as he rummaged through his pockets for a box

"Smoke?" He said with a box of Golden Embers from his hands

"Go on then" She took one then borrowing a lighter from Seth as the the two of them readied themselves for the last two miles as they then proceeded toward Mahogany Town.

* * *

Thank you for reading. Its been too long but it feels good to get another chapter up. Just for clarification when Seth mentions his days on the Rising Tour. The Rising Tour is the lowest of the professional Pokemon Battling Tours

The tour system would work kind of like this

City Leagues for Under 12s 14s and 16s and 18 years of age (Strictly Amateur)

Rising Tour- The 3rd tier and the lowest tour for professional trainers. Tournaments in this league would award 20-45 ranking points for the winner and anywhere from 950 to 1500 Pokedollars in prize money

Contender Tour- The 2nd tier and minor league for Pokemon Trainers. Tournaments in this league would award 80-135 ranking points for the winner and anywhere from 6000 to 11500 Pokedollars in prize money

World Tour- The Major League for Pokemon Trainers. Tournaments in this league would award 250-2000 ranking points for the winner depending on the tournament's prestige and anywhere from 65000 to Three million Pokedollars in prize money


End file.
